Let's take a new look at African aid

2009 Tutu Fellow Andrew Mwenda asks the audience at a TED talk in 2007 to reframe the "African question" - to look beyond the media's stories of poverty, civil war and helplessness and see the opportunities for creating wealth and happiness throughout the continent.

Andrew points out that the solution to Africa’s problems is not to increase the foreign aid, because that it comes with reinforcing negative narratives - but instead to reframe how aid can be best used. Among the consequences of the continent being seen in a bad light is that it appears as if it is only a place of despair, rather than one of great potential and opportunities.

He proposes rather than reducing poverty, the goal should be to create wealth - and charity alone doesn’t provide that. Andrew advises supporting investments in the right areas of the economy and is sure that Africa has the ability to use the opportunities offered when properly distributed.

Andrew is an African journalist and entrepreneur. Currently, he is the Managing Director of Independent Publications Limited, the publishers of The Independent, East Africa’s leading current affairs news magazine. He has also invested in schools, is involved in microfinance, mobile money, and strategic communications. In addition to being on the boards of some multi-national corporations in Africa, Andrew has also served on the Presidential Advisory Committee of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and he is a regular speaker at conferences across the world.

You can view his talk below: